Hello, Fresno!

Joseph Smooke is a photographer. He documents people and programs working to create change in communities. Last year, he submitted a photo essay to PhotoPhilanthropy.

Joseph Smooke on behalf of FM4 Paso Libre

He also teaches photography to a group of young people in Fresno, California.

His students are part of The kNOw Youth Media, an after-school program aimed at building community among youth, improving literacy skills and increasing the quality of life for families in the Central Valley.

Through this project, Joseph Smooke works as a community-based photographer.

“Not only is there not a lot of awareness of what this approach means among photographers,” says Smooke, “but also within the community. There’s not a lot of understanding of the power of photography to tell stories or create change.”

He has been working on this project since 2008. “It’s about trying to build awareness about one’s community through photography,” he says. “It’s about helping the kids understand their community better, and working to help them realize that their community is different than other places.”

When he first began working with The kNOw, Smooke worried that the students would be jaded about photography. He expected them to take lots of pictures without really thinking about them. But that wasn’t what happened. “They’ve all been doing writing work with The kNOw, so they actually went the other way,” he said. “They thought really hard about what they were doing and only took five or six pictures. So I had to go the other direction, and encourage them to take more photographs.”

They work in teams, and each team picks a subject to focus on: benches, restrooms, stereotypes, agriculture, buildings, neighborhoods. Their learning process is very palpable. Even as I look at the work of Smooke’s students, I can see how their images are evolving, both within the pairs and as a group.

Jaleesa Vickers, 20, wrote, “I have learned that beauty can actually be found all around me, not just in a magazine, or on television.”

Jaleesa also writes poems and features for The kNOw, which is a fantastic publication. I encourage you to request a free copy of the latest edition byemailing Mai Der Vang at mvang@newamericamedia.org.

PhotoPhilanthropy is thrilled to be reaching out to community based photography programs through our inaugural Community Activist Award. I’ll be interviewing participants in Joseph Smooke’s program with The kNOw, to hear more about what it’s like to work with a photographer in this way, so stay tuned for that post. And submissions are now open–we look forward to seeing your work!

Hi looking for a photographer who is willing to do the photography for the renewal of our wedding vows. We are looking for someone experienced but we cannot afford the typical going rate for a photographer. We can negotiate. Our date will be on July 18, 2010. It will be held in Fresno and it is only for about 30 people. Does anyone know of anyone they could refer me to please. Thankyou so much. Rebecca. my email rten5@yahoo.com

[…] success. Since I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Joseph Smooke and his community based photography program with Fresno’s “The kNOw,” I asked him about how he and his collaborator Mai Der Vang have […]